amir khadir

Here at rabble.ca, we have been working hard to cover the Quebec student strike and the Maple Spring it helped spark, especially in light of the hostility shown to these historic social upheavals by much of the media in English Canada.

Now that there's an election campaign underway, we are also working to bring you a critical, progressive perspective that helps explain the unique political terrain of Quebec to readers across the rest of Canada and beyond.

In all of this coverage, we have leaned heavily on our Quebec correspondent Ethan Cox for his sharp commentary and analysis.

In Quebec City last night, Amir Khadir of Québec solidaire was arrested by police in the Petit Champlain neighbourhood along with many others joining a nightly casseroles protest in solidarity with the Quebec student strike and against Law 78.

Just a week after being proclaimed the most popular politician in Quebec, Amir Khadir, the only MNA from Quebec solidaire, was out in public again to support a controversial issue knowing it would prompt rabid attacks from his opponents.

Khadir took to the street on Dec. 18 to picket a Montreal shoe store that sells Israeli-made products, as a part of a consumer boycott campaign initiated by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction group, a Palestinian solidarity organization. While the effectiveness of this tactic for the Palestinian cause is debatable, one ought to commend Amir's courage to stand up for his principle without fearing what it will do to his popularity.